On Oscars and the personal gravity of art

When you have passion for movies but find yourself covering the circus that is the Oscar race every year, you're constantly searching out that zen patch of land, away from, maybe even above, the fray.

There are a couple of things I've asserted in all my years of doing this. “No one needs awards coverage this deep,” as quoted by New York Magazine in an article last week, is one. “Don't take this too seriously” is another. On the latter, I can't really force that stance on anyone, nor should I. If you want to take the Oscars seriously, as something indicative of greater truth, as something – because of the show's position on the “world stage” – with the potential of illuminating the human condition, or the milestones of artistic history, that's fine. I leave that in the hands of the artists and the art, not the voters and the contest.

To put the Oscars on that pedestal, it disregards the very plain fact that people are people, that they have emotions and frailty, are not immune to politics and the like. It assumes they are concerned with presenting an image more than an honest reaction. Maybe you loathe what that honesty means one year. Maybe you love what it means the next. That's kind of the nature of subjectivity, isn't it?

So I read a piece like Eric Kohn's rally cry for “12 Years a Slave” and I just flinch at the idea that “all is lost” if a film that registers that note of perceived importance doesn't win the Best Picture Oscar. I recoil at the idea that, for the Academy to go in any other direction, it is a “failure,” as Kohn (who I greatly admire and respect) Tweeted. Because that, if nothing else, diminishes a fantastic year for film, to presume that if any other film but the one you, in your own bubble, have deemed “important,” wins the big prize, then it's a travesty. That neglects the fact that there are so many wonderful choices throughout the category.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” is as important as “12 Years a Slave,” if not more so for its immediacy and its revelation of the gluttonous, wicked human psyche that drives us all in this nation. “Philomena” is as important for its dismantling of organized faith-mongering. “Her” is as important for its depiction of a society more and more out of touch with itself. “Dallas Buyers Club” is as important for its characterization of a fight for the basic human right to life at all costs.

You can play this game with any nominee any year, so you shouldn't really play it at all. And no, I don't mean to sound glib. I'm very aware of how overdue an Academy Award to a black filmmaker is. I'm very aware of how “12 Years a Salve” is a cinematic monument to an era where one was sorely needed. But such things are really just one side of an equation, and these aren't robots filling out ballots.

“12 Years a Slave” is an amazing film. Steve McQueen is an amazing filmmaker who I have supported from the word go. It would make an absolutely sterling Best Picture winner, indicative of the kind of films Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner have wanted to bring to the screen throughout their production company's history, stretching back to “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (with which you all know I have been heavily affiliated as of late). I would not fold my arms in disgust, because a win for it would not just be a win for all the socio-political reasons proponents note, but also for a wonderful year in cinema.

What I don't get is the idea that a win for, say, “Gravity” flies in the face of that. Diminishes that. Douses the importance of the Oscars on the world stage. Let me explain why, and warning, there are opinions ahead.

I've seen “Gravity” five times this year and no film has been so emotional an experience for me. Alfonso Cuarón has hammered the rhetoric home since its Venice debut, but to reiterate, it is a film about adversity. It is a film about the desire to disconnect from life and finding the passion and the power to shrug off the darkness and re-engage. People dismiss this as a thin narrative. I hail it as a universal concept relatable to any and all, presented through a visual metaphor with amazing technical prowess and emotional consistency.

I know what Dr. Ryan Stone feels. And it's not about a dead daughter, more shorthand for grief and melancholy than anything else. Personally speaking, I'm coming out of some dark times in my life, which have never been (nor would they be) reflected in this space. Family, finance, health, work, friendship, love, marriage – these are all embattled elements in my life as of late, and I've often been met with the desire to cut loose and float away from these troubles, find a fresh place to start. But in “Gravity,” I've found a piece of art that says, in no subtle terms, that the triumph and glory of life is one lived, embraced for all its darkness and hopelessness, engaged with, energized by – one accepted as the only one you'll get. That is a powerful message for me at this stage in my life. (Again…subjectivity.)

So if you're going to tell me that something which has that kind of impact on me, while objectively being such a towering technical accomplishment, would be a “failure” if voted the year's best film by a group of 6,000-plus members who might, consciously or not, feel similar tugs in their heart as they watch it – well, I have to just pardon myself and say “nonsense.”

The Oscars aren't meant to be a bully pulpit, and the Academy has, time and again, shown a resistance to the urge to make them so. I'm not at all saying Fox Searchlight has treated this campaign as such, mind you. They are one of the classiest outfits in the Oscar game and have run a remarkably, refreshingly reserved campaign on behalf of this film. And if they win, I will be so, so happy for them. I only wish certain others would find that place for any other film that might win, and I include such contenders I would personally see as thin victors in that, mind you. I'm not so egotistical as to think that how I respond to these films, or how I perceive their place in an overall landscape, is anything more than my own perspective.

And by the way, please don't think I'm saying no one is having an internal reaction to “12 Years a Slave.” Solomon Northup's story is a staggering one with plenty of layers and I know, if only because McQueen is a remarkable humanist filmmaker, that it is registering such notes. I'm not generalizing; I'm just reacting to something that rears its ugly head each and every year.

The problem I see, not just with covering film awards but frankly with art criticism, too, is this notion of gate-keeping. Critics and the film commentariat are very useful, and they illuminate so much. But the enjoyment of art will remain, from here to eternity, a personal thing. Yes, the best of it stretches beyond that. Yes, the best of it connects the human condition with its place in the world, contextualizing it in a broader landscape.

But it can never be pummeled into that context. The minute you try to reduce it to a duty or a cause or a statement or an importance overriding the mysteries of one's own heart, you've suffocated what makes it so joyous, so vital, so human.

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This is the first Oscar ceremony where I care about best picture. It usually is a worthless category to me because the movies I respond to best in a given year usually aren’t close to potential nominees in the category. So I’m very dismissive of it and never felt outraged as others have over previous sins of the academy by their choices there.

I want 12 Years to win for McQueen, Pitt, the cast, black people (I’m black), and just to get the whole thing out the way. Of course I think 12 Years is a good movie but doesn’t invite easy revisits because certain sequences of violence against the Pastey character bother me more than anything else in the movie.

Kris you’re a passionate Scorpio — my birthday is the 12th of November. You should be more considerate of those who make criticisms against your personal favorites. All general criticism from professionals and civilians isn’t always group think. Sometimes the movies we love blind us from the stuff others will object to that never crosses our minds.

If Gravity wins I’ll be disappointed but won’t want to burn down the academy. The only acceptable option outside of Gravity and 12 Years is Her. Which you’re not too fond of but it’ll be the movie that gets more replay value in the years to come from this lineup.

By: KristopherTapley

03.01.2014 @ 8:26 AM

I think I went out of my way to be considerate. Unless giving my interpretation in the face of dismissal is somehow out of bounds? I also don’t think I suggested group think. Please take the piece at face value.

By: DylanS

03.01.2014 @ 3:09 PM

Expression, did you even read this piece? because it clearly went right over your head.

By: Expression Etc

03.01.2014 @ 5:44 PM

I stand by everything I said. I could have said it better. But I wrote it in the immediacy of reading Kris’ article.

By: GRubi User

03.01.2014 @ 7:24 PM

You basically just proved Kris’s point for him.

By: mads.kj.

03.01.2014 @ 9:16 AM

I like this essay and I agree with all the essentials. Both the premise (the whole Oscar conversation) and the specifics (the magnetic pull of Gravity).

I don’t know about the personal angle… it’s funny, I’ve noticed it on several blogs; It’s like people feel the urge to cry out a big sigh of relief knowing that the finish line is getting within reaching distance. Covering the Oscars really does take its toll, huh?

I hope no one will use the opportunity to go all “oh, that’s why you’ve been grumpy lately” on you, because I felt this was a sincere and timely piece. So thanks.

By: KristopherTapley

03.01.2014 @ 9:26 AM

It always does feel like a culmination, sure.

By: seren

03.01.2014 @ 12:03 PM

Great read. “Gravity” gets me in the very deep level and I felt you spoke for me too.

I think most of the BP nominees are great on their own ways. It’s almost impossible to pick one as the “Best.” I love “Gravity” but I also understand the importance of “12 Years A Slave.” What I don’t understand is why some passionate supporters for “12 Years A Slave” would have to feel so bad when they think “Gravity” might win. We are always disappointed if our favourite film lose, but it doesn’t mean the winner is a worthless film. At the end of the day, it’s just an award voted by some elite 6000 people. By now, we all know how great “12 Years A Slave” is with or without an Oscar.

By: Jorge

03.01.2014 @ 2:36 PM

Wow Kris, what an amazing essay. You told Anne on the podcast you didn’t know how people found the time to write a book–well you clearly have the talent and should consider it. A book exploring the relationship between personal and group reaction and appreciation to art, and the different forces that factor into making art great, is something I know I would devour in one sitting. Again, congratulations.

I agree with 99% of what you say, particularly about the two movies involved, etc. One small place where I diverge that you might consider. You say that:

“If you want to take the Oscars seriously, as something indicative of greater truth, as something … with the potential of illuminating the human condition, or the milestones of artistic history, that’s fine. I leave that in the hands of the artists and the art, not the voters and the contest.

To put the Oscars on that pedestal, it disregards the very plain fact that people are people, that they have emotions and frailty, are not immune to politics and the like.”

Consider this: I put the Oscars on that pedestal *precisely because* I understand that people are people, with frailty and emotions. I don’t disregard that fact, I understand that fact so much that the way I personally understand the Oscars is–and you may laugh–as a reduction of ourselves as a collective in many ways. And that is why I do believe they illuminate the human condition and reflect a snapshot in our current humanity. What I don’t do is give the Oscars the sole weight of history–that they can speak to, but history is written by the next group of humans.

Sure, you may laugh and say: “How can you argue that the Academy represents a microcosm of us,” they’re 94% white and 75% male and are in the film industry. Fair points, and they do diverge sometimes if your comparison point is the entire population. But they do reflect a very real slice of us, and normally they represent the loudest side.

After all, it wasn’t just the Academy that didn’t want to deal with, say, “Do The Right Thing.” The American public didn’t. Oh, you and I may have, but the broader public did not. The broader public loved Rocky and would much rather than, than have to relieve Watergate or think about whether television is controlling us. And, when Crash won, I think 18 States had just passed by overwhelming popular vote margins *amendments to their constitutions* to prohibit gay people from marrying, etc.

Thus, I do think the Academy for the most part reflects some loud, pervasive segment of our collective consciousness, and that is why they are, whether we like it or not, important. But that is all a long way of saying that I do not necessarily think that seeing that as that reflection necessarily ignores that they are made up of humans–on the contrary.

Anyway–congrats again on a superbly well-written piece.

By: Jorge

03.01.2014 @ 2:39 PM

(Complaints that the Academy doesn’t want to view a difficult movie that reminds them of the horrors of slavery–um, the American public for the most part does not. Etc. etc.)

By: Paul

03.01.2014 @ 2:41 PM

Look, to me, 12 Years A Slave is a masterpiece. I’ve seen it three times now. I think it’s by far and away the best film of the year.

However, I wish it never got saddled with this bullshit narrative of being most deserving to win based on “importance”. Do I think it would be significant for a black filmmaker and film on this subject to win? Of course. Is that why it should? No.

Bottom line, this is the best acted, written, directed, shot (sacrilege I know) edited and constructed film of the year. That’s why it should win.

I have much respect for Gravity, and if it wins it will be the strongest best pic since No Country. Even though I feel strongly about 12 Years, Gravity would be no failure (American Hustle on the other hand…)

Either way Kris, essays like this continue to re-enforce why you’re my favorite pundit in the game. We may disagree, but it won’t stop me from enjoying your perspective.

By: DylanS

03.01.2014 @ 3:36 PM

Brilliant essay Kris, I agree so strongly with your perspective, which is why even as I grow less and less invested in the outcome of the Oscar race year after year I continue to regularly revisit this site. I was just thinking the other day about how the slogan/motto of “No one needs Awards coverage this deep” sets a perfect tone for what this site is about.

I am a huge admirer of the film McQueen made this year. I think it would be one of the richest pieces of filmmaking to win BP in a while, and, possibly, ever. But this Oscar season, and the narrative that this film is IMPORTANT! has saddled an achievement that can stand perfectly fine on its own two feet with a weight that no film should have to bear the burden of. The second to last line of this piece I think beautifully expresses that idea.

It’s always amazing to me how people simultaneously put the Oscars on a pedestal while also deriding the entire process, making Best Picture an achievement both to celebrate occasionally and mock at other times. At the ned of the day, if winning Best Picture means something, it’s because we as individuals decided it has. Reading the piece from Scott Fienberg earlier this week about the honest Oscar ballots reflects for me that at least a handful of Academy members are truly idiots that are every bit as cynical about the process of voting as we are about the results. Why we feel the need to put personal stock into these peoples opinions is silly to me. As the history shows, the Oscars ignoring a film that many consider to be iconic have never been a detriment to that film, but merely highlights the fact that the conversation about great cinema doesn’t start and stop with the Academy, which is why nobody needs to cry for “Inside Llewyn Davis” this year.

As silly as this sounds, if people wanted a film awards show more indicative of a thoughtful consideration of a year in film, they should look to the Goldderby awards or the awards daily mock ballot casting. The people who go on these site’s (this site as well) are the people who truly care about movies and thoughtfully consider the merits of each.

I’ve learned as I’ve grown up with the Oscars to only focus on what I like. Only root for the films you love that stand a chance at winning something (“Frozen” is a film I care deeply about with a chance at 2 Oscars that I think it deserves), but don’t put too much stock into any particular race if it doesn’t reflect how you feel.

Anyway, a great write-up Kris. And thanks for another season of level-headed analysis. Neither 21st century journalism nor the Academy awards lend themselves well to rationalism, so the site you run is truly a rare gem. I can imagine myself in the future not even bothering with watching these awards, but I will find myself returning to this site regardless.

By: Daniel

03.01.2014 @ 4:07 PM

Way before this season had even started, Steve McQueen and Alfonso Cuarón were two of my favorite contemporary directors. And to have an Oscar in which two (amazing) movies by each of them are battling for the win? God, this season has been a bless.

I personally think an Oscar for “12 Years” is more important for the Academy than for the movie itself. They need to come to terms with that and their horrible racial history, to admit that shameful blind spot. So, as a fan of the Oscars, that would make me respect them a little bit more than I do today – thus, I’m on the McQueen team.

But if “Gravity” wins? Man, two Oscars (BD and BP) for the guy who did “Y Tu Mamá, también”? Doesn’t get much better than that.

By: Gabe_Kelly

03.01.2014 @ 4:56 PM

And just like that, you show why you are simply one of the best, most thoughtful, most refreshing film sites available to those of us who care about the Oscars because we care about film–as opposed to those who care about the Oscars because they are the Oscars.
I’m sorry you are going through a dark time. However, I am glad that you were able to find a film that allowed you to grapple with that, understand that, or at least find some sort of peace. I will say, I hadn’t understood that particular message about *Gravity* until I read this piece, and now I’m jonesing to revisit it. Either way, I hate the way people freak out every year about the Academy’s choice for Best Picture and what it means. I wish I could write as articulate of a response as your essay merits, but all in all, I just wanted to say a big thank you, for the kind of coverage you guys do on the site, for opening up, and for this beautiful piece.

By: Renaat

03.01.2014 @ 7:12 PM

Bravo! My sentiments exactly. It’s this spirit that makes In Contention my favourite source during Oscar season. Thanks for another wonderful season of smart, passionate but never preachy reporting and analyses.

It’s a pity a lot of people can’t seem to look past the technical bravura of Gravity and fail to see its heart. Still, I hope it wins the big one.

By: GRubi User

03.01.2014 @ 7:19 PM

Kris, of the five times you’ve seen it, were any of them on DVD? I’m asking because I wanted to know if it’s worth buying or if watching it on the small screen just takes a lot of what is great about it away.

By: KristopherTapley

03.02.2014 @ 1:43 AM

Yeah, I saw it once on DVD/screener. Was really bummed the impact was diminished but it’s worth owning regardless. Particularly if you have a surround sound set-up.

By: Taylor

03.01.2014 @ 8:21 PM

Someone needs to send this to Sasha Stone…

By: M-Wolverine

03.02.2014 @ 12:14 AM

Haha, I wasn’t going to name any names, but this was a refreshing take on why if a segment thinks one great movie is better than a other great movie, it doesn’t make either one bad. This is why when the Oscar buzz starts I come here. Because it has passion AND reason. Really great column.

By: HoustonRufus

03.02.2014 @ 1:36 AM

Sasha is a passionate voice, but what I find lacking from her coverage is a love of movies. I’m not sure she or her writers even enjoy movies. They seem more concerned with turning each season into some sort of cause. And I’m weary of it. What is so powerful about Kris’ piece is how it captures the individual, subjective experience of movie watching and how one should be careful to over moralize awards and what they mean. Like Kris says, Enjoy the movies forever. Amen.

By: HoustonRufus

03.02.2014 @ 12:45 AM

Kris, this is the best piece I’ve read the entire season and it should be revisited every year. Bravo sir, and I wish you well in whatever challenges you are facing. I know you weren’t soliciting for responses to what you shared, but I do genuinely mean it. Your heart comes through in this piece and it is what makes the piece so effective.

By: pitypie

03.02.2014 @ 2:18 AM

I wish I loved Gravity as much as you did. I’ve seen it twice, and felt it flat both times, but your passion makes me want to revisit it again.

But more importantly, this kind of essay is the reason I visit IC and no other awards sites. All the addictive, unnecessary coverage (sure, no one needs awards coverage this deep, but if you’re offering, it would be rude not to read some of it…) with none of the toxic commentary that, frankly, poisons what should ultimately be a celebration of great film. Thanks again, Kris and Guy!

By: Yogsss

03.02.2014 @ 2:47 AM

“Enjoy the Oscars Sunday. Enjoy the movies forever”

I will forever love you for this. The Oscars are a one-day trick that gets everyone high on angry or happiness depending on who they support for a day or 2 and then no one remembers until the thing is an actual conversation topic.

Movies? Movies are forever and will be with us every day, every second, every night. I still have so many quotes, so many performances, so many director’s dreams made true, so many shots by geniuses like Lubeski, Alcott or Willis, so many tunes from Williams, Goldsmith and Jarre and so many songs by the Sherman brothers or Bacharach himself. All of what I said and a million more go along my life at every second.

The Oscars are like graduating from school and then having the blast of your life at the post party or a disappointing evening because you weren’t popular with anyone. It’s a one night affair, but real life punch you in the face when you go to college or get a job. That’s the movies. The after part of life where you learn, you get drunk, you fuck the pretty chicks and meet the love of your life. That’s what stands with you, that’s the movies.

By: Paul

03.02.2014 @ 6:52 AM

I just wanted to re-iterate what others have been saying – great essay Kris. I felt as though I hadn’t emphasized this enough in my original comment. The awards circuit could use more thoughtful pieces of film criticism like this.

We spend so much time dissecting movies in the short term during awards season, often at the expense of a bigger perspective on these movies long-term significance. I really want 12 Years to win best picture; but if it doesn’t, is it an embarrassment? How will I feel about Gravity three years from now? Five years? Will I watch it more than 12 Years?

As you often point out Kris, the Oscars are an interesting snapshot. But it’s too bad that more people don’t have this rational or insightful a perspective on the Oscars and what it means vis-a-vis our favorite movies. If you love movies, having a movie like Gravity win is still an awesome thing.

For the record, my view on what the best movie is in a given year changes fairly frequently. And so while Gravity isn’t my favorite today, it might be a few years from now. As for my favorite (and top 3) for every year since Kris started this beat:

Great read, great insight. I don’t go trolling for Oscar coverage elsewhere because I’ve found I don’t really need to. I like the style here, I like the voices and I see my own level of interest reflected back at me; a love of the movies with a dash of keeping my foot in this Oscar pool, but nothing about the films I love or don’t are diminished by Oscar. The biggest disappointment about all this contention about the Best Picture race is that here we have two phenomenal films from two vital voices and they’re so different and such an indication of what kind of year it was. We should be celebrating, if you ask me. Whoever wins is almost a bit of an afterthought.

By: cheeseman

03.02.2014 @ 11:24 PM

Kris, thanks again for articulating so clearly what “Gravity” is all about, and why it resonates far beyond its technical achievement. Let’s hope the Academy agrees.